Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Utsunomiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Utsunomiya: $1,316 a month against $1,688 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Utsunomiya
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Utsunomiya Living Index

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Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,688

/mo nomad

Utsunomiya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,316

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tokyo and in Utsunomiya

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tokyo and in Utsunomiya actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,688 per month in Tokyo vs $1,316 in Utsunomiya, rent included.

Tokyo $1,688
Utsunomiya $1,316

A couple spends around $2,588 per month in Tokyo vs $1,971 in Utsunomiya, rent included.

Tokyo $2,588
Utsunomiya $1,971

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Tokyo vs $2,625 in Utsunomiya, rent included.

Tokyo $3,489
Utsunomiya $2,625

Tokyo costs about 28% more than Utsunomiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tokyo sits 24% above the global median, while Utsunomiya is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.72 ¥1,218

$6.07 ¥957

27.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.51 ¥5,915

$16.88 ¥2,662

122.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.01 ¥789

$4.86 ¥767

3.09%

Cappuccino

$3.68 ¥580

$3.52 ¥555

4.55%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ¥239

$1.07 ¥169

41.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 ¥133

$0.84 ¥133

1.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 ¥595

$3.11 ¥490

21.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 ¥907

$1.86 ¥293

209.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥235

$1.45 ¥229

2.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 ¥273

$1.67 ¥264

3.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.80 ¥914

$5.63 ¥887

3.02%

Eggs

$2.25 ¥354

$2.25 ¥355

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.50 ¥1,813

$11.56 ¥1,823

-0.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.96 ¥1,098

$6.80 ¥1,072

2.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.39 ¥2,585

$16.74 ¥2,640

-2.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 ¥746

$4.85 ¥765

-2.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 ¥359

$2.27 ¥358

0.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 ¥672

$4.25 ¥671

0.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.37 ¥846

$5.27 ¥831

1.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 ¥519

$3.40 ¥535

-3.24%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 ¥473

$3.01 ¥475

-0.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ¥181

$1.18 ¥186

-2.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$0.79 ¥124

1.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ¥614

$3.96 ¥625

-1.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,533

$9.70 ¥1,530

0.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥269

$1.68 ¥265

1.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ¥419

$2.75 ¥433

-3.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 ¥197

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 ¥9,845

$64.4 ¥10.2K

-3.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 ¥496

$3.08 ¥486

2.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.14 ¥494

$3.13 ¥494

0.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.98 ¥2,992

$18.99 ¥2,994

-0.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.06 ¥167

4.72%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$22.5K ¥3.5M

$22.8K ¥3.6M

-1.38%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$15.2K ¥2.4M

0.67%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$147 ¥23.2K

$150 ¥23.6K

-1.75%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.17 ¥3,654

$23.41 ¥3,692

-1.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.10 ¥4,746

$30.11 ¥4,748

-0.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 ¥9,057

$50.5 ¥7,970

13.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.48 ¥4,175

$12.49 ¥1,970

112.01%

Cinema Ticket

$13.39 ¥2,111

$13.12 ¥2,069

2.06%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,410 ¥222.4K

$1,408 ¥222.0K

0.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K ¥2.9M

$18.2K ¥2.9M

2.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 ¥8,724

$55.1 ¥8,683

0.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.43 ¥5,114

$32.60 ¥5,141

-0.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 ¥10.2K

$64.8 ¥10.2K

-0.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.1 ¥11.4K

-0.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,329 ¥209.6K

$609 ¥96.0K

118.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 ¥114.9K

$388 ¥61.2K

87.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,622 ¥413.5K

$893 ¥140.8K

193.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 ¥220.9K

$721 ¥113.7K

94.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.7K ¥1.7M

$3,783 ¥596.5K

183.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,054 ¥796.9K

$2,111 ¥332.9K

139.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,019 ¥476.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Tokyo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Utsunomiya: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$729 43.2%

Utsunomiya

$388 29.5% 46.7% $340

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$327 19.4%

Utsunomiya

$327 24.8% 0.2% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$200 11.9%

Utsunomiya

$203 15.4% 1.4% $2.9

Eating Out

Tokyo

$161 9.5%

Utsunomiya

$132 10.1% 17.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$101 6%

Utsunomiya

$101 7.7% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Tokyo

$86 5.1%

Utsunomiya

$88 6.7% 2.2% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$84 5%

Utsunomiya

$77 5.8% 8.8% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,329 in Tokyo versus $609 in Utsunomiya. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tokyo versus $17 in Utsunomiya. Groceries tell a different story – $327 in Tokyo vs $327 in Utsunomiya – so Tokyo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇯🇵 Utsunomiya

🕒 Local time

22:06 10:06 PM

Same time as Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

519,217

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Tokyo vs Utsunomiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,688 in Tokyo, $1,316 in Utsunomiya – Utsunomiya comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,533 per month in Tokyo and $1,974 in Utsunomiya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Utsunomiya, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $609 there versus $1,329 in Tokyo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tokyo and $17 in Utsunomiya. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Tokyo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Utsunomiya, where all-in costs run around $1,316, than in Tokyo at $1,688. In Utsunomiya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tokyo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Utsunomiya costs $1,316 versus $1,688 in Tokyo. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.